Glitter Wings, Sparkling Emeralds, and Halloween Treats
by lotusgranger
Summary: Written for the 2016 Shrieking Shack Society Halloween Short Story Challenge. Halloween has always been significant for the Potter family, but why was it their favorite holiday?


**A/N** This is a little ficlet written for the Shrieking Shack Society's 2016 Halloween Short Story Challenge. It is my first Marauder's fic, so I hope you enjoy! Warnings: Character death, glittery gossamer wings, plastic crowns, and sob-worthy moments.

 **Halloween 1971**

The Great Hall was filled with carved pumpkins of a sort that Lily Evans had never seen. She was awed by the floating candles, the live bats, and the pumpkins large enough for a fully grown man to sit in. It was inside of one of these pumpkins that Lily found herself hiding, having received a letter from her little sister, wishing her luck with the "warts and green skin that were sure to break out because she was a witch on Halloween," and telling her that at least she would be able to trick or treat with Mom and Dad like a normal person.

Lily was trying very hard not to sob very loudly, since carved pumpkins were hollow, and she did not want any one seeing her cry over a silly Muggle tradition, when she was having a hard enough time already trying to fit in as a Muggleborn witch in her first few months of Hogwarts. If she went to Severus, she knew he'd just tell her that it was another reason why she was better than her family, than her sister, because she'd always belonged to the Wizarding world, and that she was better off without a Muggle family to hold her down.

The next thing she knew, the pumpkin was invaded by a messy black haired boy with crooked glasses and hazel eyes that widened seeing the other occupant of the pumpkin. Lily knew he was James Potter, one of the pureblooded Gryffindors in her year, but she doubted very much that he knew who she was. With a sob, she ran off, without a word, forgetting about her sister's letter, and its contents.

James scanned the tear-stained piece of paper, and ran off to Remus to ask what "Trick or Treating" was, and why witches were green and warty.

With a little bit of help, he and the other Marauders pieced together muggle costumes and grabbed pillowcases to go knock on all of the Gryffindor dorm doors. Remus was a school teacher, Sirius scrabbled together a pirate costume, and Peter was dressed as a clown of all things. James put on a crown and decided to be a fairy prince.

When Lily opened the door, the four boys yelled, "Trick or treat!" and started handing her pillowcases full of Honeydukes finest chocolate and Fizzing Whizbees, Sugar Quills and Ice Mice. James held out a set of muggle fairy wings and a plastic tiara that one of the Prefects had found for him and told her, since she was already a witch, she'd have to be a fairy princess for Halloween, and that he'd think she was the prettiest witch, even if she was green or had warts.

Remus groaned, seeing the inevitable as Lily threw the bag of candy at James and slammed the door in his face. But the damage was done. James was head over heels for Lily, and Lily thought James was the biggest, meanest snoop in all of Gryffindor Tower.

Still, when she found James' pillowcase outside of her door the next morning, with an apology attached, it made her feel at home in the Wizarding world for the first time, even if the candy could hop away from you if you let go of it too quickly or tasted like bogeys instead of marshmallows. And maybe being a witch wasn't so bad, as long as she didn't have to be James Potter's fairy princess.

 **Halloween 1977**

James Potter stood in front of his girlfriend, down on his knees, wearing the silliest, frilliest, poofy costume with gossamer wings, and a plastic crown on his head. He held out a goblin-made ring with finely wrought Willow branches holding a tiny diamond flanked by rubies and garnets. He had picked rubies for her House and garnets for her birth month, and willow branches for her wand, having a new piece made for her, rather than bestowing the Potter heirloom ring on her finger, because he was becoming as much her family as she would become part of his.

His hands shook as he held out the delicate ring, clearing his throat to keep his voice from cracking as he looked into the same wide emerald eyes he had seen six years ago for the first time. The first time he had really noticed his classmate, and realized that it must be a scary thing to go to boarding school in an entirely new world.

"Six years ago, when I stumbled into your pumpkin, all I could think was that your eyes looked like shimmering emeralds, and I never wanted to see them sad, again, and since then, I've wanted to make those eyes full of laughter and light and love. I want to give you a family here in the Wizarding world," James started, turning red and lowering himself down to one knee.

"I tried to be your fairy prince and take you away from your sadness, and I have never stopped trying, Lily Jane Evans, will you do me the honor of being my fairy princess, my fairy queen, my wife?"

Lily burst out laughing, but seeing the hurt on James' face, she snogged him soundly, wrapping her arms around him.

"Of course, you, silly man, I'll be your wife, just as long as you promise to never, ever wear those wings again."

 **Halloween 1978**

The Great Hall was filled with pumpkins, carved wide enough for two people to sit in, and when the clock struck twelve, Lily Potter kissed her new husband, and sparklers lit atop the floating candles, with bats flying above their heads to form a heart.

Minerva waved her wand as the newlyweds climbed inside the pumpkin, transforming it into the carriage, and Dumbledore winked at Lily before motioning to her feet, where her shoes had transformed into crystal slippers.

Invisible thestrals pulled the carriage from the Great Hall out of the castle, and flew the carriage to Godric's Hollow, where the new family could start their home.

 **Halloween 1978**

"Hey, James, let's make a baby."

"Halloween has always been our lucky night."

"Come to bed, my fairy prince."

 **Halloween 1979**

James guffawed as he saw his wife levitate their son into the room, dressed up as a Muggle fairy prince for his first Halloween.

"Trick, or Treat!"

Kissing Lily soundly, he handed her a box of Ice Mice before telling her that she would always be his treat, his one, his life, his fairy princess, his Lily.

"And now for some tricks!"

He lifted up Harry and swung him around in a circle before placing him on the floor and entertaining him with smoke puffs and circles with his wand, gazing at the wonder of what could come from two people meeting each other in a pumpkin on Halloween. Harry, his Halloween baby, was the greatest treat of all, a family of his own with Lily, but there was a trick lying up someone's sleeve.

He could hear Lily upstairs, taking Harry out of his costume and singing the Hogwarts song to him to soothe him into lying still while she wiggled the wings off his back and changed him into pajamas.

Suddenly, the door flew open with a bang, and the last thing James saw was a bright flash of green light, so unlike the emerald green he had seen eight years ago on the Halloween when he met his greatest treat.

 **Halloween 1991**

James and Lily looked through the veil on the day it was thinnest each year, watching their Halloween treat, Harry at his first Halloween at Hogwarts. It was bittersweet, seeing their son each Halloween, the day they became a family, and the day he became an orphan.

They watched as he rescued a Muggleborn girl who was crying in the toilets from a rampaging troll, and saw his pureblooded friend reach past his differences with the girl and become friends.

"Family," Lily murmured, "He has a family."


End file.
